Paul Raven

Like so many things AI can be a good servant but a bad master. So much fakery is already out there and people seem eager to believe. Anyway I asked for a story concerning Chance's death on Y&R. Chance’s “death” in Nice can be reframed as a covert operation in which he deliberately fakes his own murder to flush out and dismantle a larger criminal network connected to Carter, Colin, and the money behind Aristotle’s empire, with only a tiny handful of people in on the ruse. This preserves him as a legacy character, respects his heroism, and turns a flat death beat into the spine of a long-game thriller. Core Retcon PremiseChance learns before the trip to Nice that Carter is not just a rogue assistant but a contract killer tied to Colin’s old criminal associates and an international laundering ring using Aristotle’s shell companies. The FBI/Interpol have been trying to crack this network but need someone on the inside who can convincingly “die” in a high‑profile incident to shake loose hidden players and dormant accounts. Chance agrees to let his “death” in France become the linchpin of a joint operation; the shooting at Aristotle’s party is staged with live rounds and a vest, but only Chance, a handler, and one accomplice in Nice know the truth. Reframing the Nice ShootingThe party at Aristotle’s estate is already a powder keg: Cane’s unmasking as Aristotle, Victor’s presence, Adam’s arrival with damaging intel, and the revelation that Carter is the killer who stabbed Damian. In the original story, Carter grabs Lily and Chance intervenes and is shot, apparently dying at the climax of the face‑off. In the retcon, Chance and his handler have intel that Carter has orders to eliminate Cane and possibly Victor; they arrange for Chance to “step in the line of fire” in a way that both convinces Carter he has succeeded and gives Interpol cause to “take jurisdiction” and move key suspects and evidence off the canvas. Who Knew, Who Didn’tTo keep the emotional fallout intact, most characters remain genuinely grief‑stricken. In on the faked death: A single Interpol contact who takes over the crime scene and insists Chance’s body goes directly to a French government facility “for diplomatic reasons”. Possibly Victor, brought in late in the game: Interpol offers him a deal—he quietly cooperates against the network targeting Newman and Chancellor in exchange for limited exposure and he keeps Chance’s secret to protect the op. Kept in the dark: Lily, Cane, Abby, the Chancellor family, everyone in Genoa City; their grief provides genuine cover that even the sharpest enemies believe. Cane is deliberately excluded because his own murky dealings and Aristotle shell corporations are under investigation; Chance cannot trust which side he is on yet. Why the Death Had to Be “Real”This addresses the sense that Chance died for no real dramatic effect by giving the death a retroactive mission. Operational logic: The network needed proof that the detective on their trail was definitively eliminated; a public, highly reported shooting at a billionaire’s party in Nice, with photos, witness accounts, and official death certificates, provides that proof. Character logic: Chance has a track record as a protector who jumps in front of danger; agreeing to a plan that uses his “death” to save Cane, Lily, and the Chancellor legacy is a natural extension of that. He cannot ask his loved ones to lie convincingly; their genuine grief is the only thing that will convince ruthless players who watch every reaction and memorial. How a Return Story Could UnspoolYou can seed a multi‑phase comeback that pays off both the Nice arc and the legacy aspect. Phase 1: Glitches in the narrative Abby or Lily notices sealed French records, odd phrasing in reports, or a photo that suggests Chance was moved, not left at the scene. Adam, digging into Aristotle‑related shell companies to protect himself from Victor, finds payments tied to Chance’s old undercover aliases and “consultancy fees” from a European task force. Phase 2: The ghost in the system A burner phone text or secure email reaches Cane: “You’re not the only one with a second life. Walk away from Chancellor, or you’ll expose me—and everyone you care about.” Signed with an in‑joke only Cane and Chance shared when Chance was “protecting and serving” around Cane’s messes. Victor’s behavior around any attempt to exhumation or autopsy is suspiciously obstructive, hinting he has something to lose if Chance’s body is actually examined. Phase 3: Reveal and fallout Chance finally returns in the middle of another crisis—perhaps when the last surviving boss from Colin’s circle comes after Jill, Cane, or the twins, and “dead” evidence is the only way to flip a vital witness. Emotional beats: Lily’s fury: the retcon depends on her being allowed to be furious that her grief was weaponised, even if she eventually understands the stakes. Cane’s guilt: his Aristotle games, and his need for protection, made Chance the perfect candidate for a martyrdom he had to perform alive; this complicates any attempt to redeem Cane as a wounded schemer rather than an irredeemable grifter. Thematic PayoffThe twist turns a seemingly pointless death into a commentary on identity and reinvention, mirroring Cane’s double life as Aristotle and Chance’s new ghost‑cop existence. It restores the Chancellor line’s importance: the only grandchild did not die; he chose to put the name on the line in a different way, protecting its future from the shadows. It gives the Nice arc lasting consequences in Genoa City instead of letting it remain an isolated “France detour” that swallowed a legacy character for shock value. If you want, the next step can be to script a specific return episode: first scene in Genoa City where someone realises the body in Chance’s French grave is not his, or the confrontation where Lily finally learns Victor helped hide Chance’s survival.

Spot on. This thread is as lifeless as the show as there is pretty much nothing to discuss. The stories are by the numbers, there are only a few characters and sets per episode and people just talk about their incredible businesses while at restaurants and/or at home (if they're lucky enough to have one)

Josh is deluded. “It’s going to be Jess Walton‘s 40th anniversary [as Jill], so that’s a milestone that we will definitely recognize. Does that mean we will actually celebrate Jill/Jess onscreen. Or will there be a Zoom scene, or even worse just some mention of Jill. Never sure with this show.

The last few shots ending with Mac seemed crammed in.

That is 1000% more interesting that what Griffith is serving up.

I'm watching mid 67 and Steven and Betty are at odds because of her 'sordid' past in NY and the fact that Martin Peyton has left everything to Betty if she marries Rodney. Both stories are stretching credibility. And Rodney is back in Betty's life-the Rodney/Sandy and Rodney/Rachel connections are being downplayed. Meanwhile Rita is bedridden, which is boring. I'm looking forward to the arrival of Adrienne played by Gena Rowlands in coming episodes.

I wonder if James Pritchett ( ex Matt The Doctors) would have worked as Gerald.? Or Robert Milli ( ex Adam GL) Although he had been on AW years before. Ed Bryce? Wayne Tippit?

Yep b/w 80 and 85 we said goodbye to Tommy, Marie, Sandy, Steve, Julie, Marie, David, Bill, Laura, Jessica. Along with Trish, Margo, Doug, Renee and Joshua who married into the family. The Hortons were clearly no longer a priority.

The actors are having to deal with limited rehearsal and scripts that are recycling past stories. It must be difficult to bring something new to scenes that are repeats of past events eg Sharon being tormented, Victor vowing revenge, Phyllis trying to gain power, Jack under threat, Kyle professing his undying love to a new woman etc The direction is now pretty much 2 people talking at a restaurant table-no movement, group scenes.

I think Hawaii 5-0 was on it's last legs in the final season and CBS saw the writing on the wall. They knew The Waltons was also winding down and that Thursday would need a revamp. They had to find a place for Knots and Thurs @10 was the most suitable slot. Sun -Trapper John had just premiered, Mon- Lou Grant was established there, Fri was Dallas. Tues/Wed were movie nights and their attempt to go with series on Sat was a disaster-Big Shamus/LittleShamus and Paris. So Hawaii was moved to place a familiar show in difficult timeslots and they figured Barnaby would do just as well as Hawaii @9. Jack Lord filmed a pilot M Station Hawaii but it was not picked up and CBS went with Magnum to use it's Hawaii based production locale.

Victor and Nikki should be strong supporting characters stepping up onto the main stage when necessary. But constantly making Victor a lead character is not working. And as for Nikki running a corporation...

I get the feeling that Y&R will farewell a main character this year. Will it be goodbye to Nate, Holden or Audra or Daniel?

@Reverend Ruthledge Thank you so much. This is amazing in details that I have never read before. Hopefully you can continue into 1941. The thing is most of this could play today with some tweaking. TGL should be relaunched using these stories and a multi ethnic cast.

BTG Some extra sets eg Jacob/Naomi living room, Banecker U., Martin's office etc More location taping taking advantage of the studio surrounds. Some actual hospital business rather than gossiping at the desk.

Devon was, is, and always will be deadly dull. They should have recast at the time Bryton was hardly appearing. As for making him Katherine's grandson, that was idiocy on a grand scale.

Yes to all of the above. The quality of the writing and production is an embarrassment at this point.

Thanks as always @DRW50

Reading this article got me to thinking how none of the original Y&R cast who left when on to have much success in primetime. Janice Lynde was all pumped for her 'Roxy' pilot that wasn't picked up and by 79 she was back on soaps on AW. Trish Stewart landed a series Salvage 1 but it was short lived and she pretty much disappeared. William Grey Espy never seemed to want to move to primetime and only found work at AW. James Houghton did OK with KL and The Colbys. He was the first of the originals. to depart. Did he have a shorter contract? Tom Hallick had a few pilots but then nothing. I wonder if any of them had regrets, or they took it in stride that being a hot daytime star didn't mean much out of that sphere. The Journal 20 November 1977 Tom Hailick TV Actor Wants More BY DICK KLEINER HOLLYWOOD — According to most polls, Tom Hallick is the number one male star of daytime television. Whether popularity is measured in terms of fan mail or viewership or whatever, the handsome Hailick hits the high figures. He's one of the big reasons CBS' The Young and the Restless is a top-rated soap opera. He plays Brad Eliot on the show and both of them are winners. But it isn't enough for Hailick. He enjoys being where he is because there's nothing wrong with the atmosphere at the top.. Even so, he wants more. In the first place he wants more money. "I have to say that I like the security of a weekly paycheck," he says, "and that's what you get with a soap opera. But I recently played a part on a TV pilot, 'The Return of Captain Nemo,' and I made doing that pilot than I made all year on The Young and the Restless. "I work very hard on the soap — I believe it's the toughest work there is for an actor — but compared to 'Nemo,' I make nothing. And on 'Nemo,' all I had to do was say 'Up, periscope' a few times." So there is the inducement of more money that beckons Tom Hallick to broader horizons. There is also the hope to attract more fans to his banner, although there is quite a crowd there already. "Actually," he says, "the make-up of the public who watches me is surprising. The show is a big hit on college campuses for example. It's almost a cult thing with the collegians, ahd I have a lot of teenage girl fans, too." Still, he'd like to become better known among the bulk of the public, those who go to movies and watch nighttime television. So he's branching out. He's done a couple pilots lately. One of the aforementioned, "The Return of Captain Nemo." Another one is a new Irwin Allen proposed series, Time Travellers. And a third pilot was for a syndicated variety series with Dan Rowan and Michele Lee called The American Flyer. "I think I can do both a nighttime series and the daytime series," Hailick says. "I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want that regular paycheck plus the other money. And most important, I like working hard." He has a clause in his contract which permits him to take time off from The Young and the Restless to do other things, provided he gives the show sufficient notice. He says it took six months to work out the details of that clause, but now it's proving its value. Tom began acting as a first-grader — "The Reluctant Dragon" was his first role — and never really deviated from the acting dream. "I did go to law school for a while, but that was mostly because I had, no idea how to become an actor." It was a long struggle working in Buffalo,in Florida, as a page for NBC in New York. Then he came to Los Angeles and things began going his way. Now he's number one — but is that enough?

Agree. Just add it to the end of an episode.

Yes I saw that yesterday. Amazing. Didn't know either of them could sing(that well)

The Journal Dec 1978 Writing Soaps, Getting Tanned MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — "Forget the image of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' where frantic writers run around the set and throw out pages," says Jerome Dobson, sitting beside his swimming pool."We'll start plotting and say, 'Pass the suntan lotion.'" Jerome Dobson and his wife Bridget lead a quiet, secluded life on a wooded estate between the mountains, and the Pacific in this affluent community south of Santa Barbara. But they aren't cut off from the world of Bertha Bauer, her sons Ed and Mike, and everyone in Springfield, U.S.A., who don't make a move or utter a word that doesn't spring from the minds of the Dobsons. Every day they turn out a 65 page script for the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light," longest running drama in broadcasting, and are on the telephone constantly with the producers in New York. Since becoming head writers 3 and 1/2 years ago they've given the soap opera which had been suffering from hardening of the arteries, a decidedly contemporary look and a faster pace. The Dobsons plot the series a year in advance, dictate the day-by-day outlines to a battery of secretaries, and send the outlines to four assistant writers to flesh out with dialogue. They use graphs and charts to keep track of all 30 characters and to be sure every actor works the number of. days required by his or her contract. "It's a giant crossword puzzle," Bridget says, "We may work from sunup to moonup. It depends on if Jerry's being good ,we'll get through it fast. They write wherever the mood strikes them — by the pool, in the pergola, or in, their private offices. Jerry and Bridget met at Stanford University. Bridget is the daughter of Frank and Doris Hursley, who wrote for "Search For Tomorrow" and created "General Hospital." 'Guiding Light' is a vastly different show from what it was, say, five years ago," says Bridget. "We were with the show a year and a half before I can really say we were proud of it. You can't change it overnight. The pace is faster, the characters are more contemporary,it's sexier, it-has more humor. characters are more multi-dimensional. The Dobsons say there's no formula for writing soap opera."You can't fill in the blanks," says Dobson. "You can't just punch up the characters. You have to write from the gut; You have to be true to your characters at. all times or the audience will jump on you."

Jordan was looking vampirish by the end of his Y&R run.

Just watching a bunch of people kissing ...sure romance is a big part of soaps, but they need to promote characters and storyline. And the 'sexy' scenes don't even look that hot.

What don't you like? The character poses? The theme? Any ideas of what you would like to see? As far as Ashley goes, I think Jen Jacob is fine-it was just the set up of her character and the triangle with Derek and Andre that was a fail for me.

@SoapDope78 Thanks for that episode. Has it been up before? The Journal April 17 April 1977 Actor Outlasts Soap Operas BY DICK KLEINER After 11 years of playing Dr, Bill Horton on NBC's Days Of Our Lives, Edward Mallory has reached the pinnacle of daytime television. He is one of the most popular of all the soap opera heroes. But does h e find the work satisfying? " No , " he says. " No , it's not totally satisfying. I'm like an airplane. I've been through all the training—Carnegie Tech and all that — and I'm a good plane. I'm all fueled up and ready to take off. But then I'm stopped just before the wheels leave the ground. I've only taken off a few times in 11 years with Days of Our Lives. Why, then, does he stay with the show? "Because of the money," Mallory says., with refreshing candor. Mallory comes originally from Cumberland. Met-, where he had a pleasant childhood. There was never a thought of acting as he went through school. After graduating from high school, he became a management trainee with a tire company. Then came the Korean War, which changed his life totally. He went into the Army, became a lieutenant, and was assigned to duties as an instructor. He found he could get his ideas across to his recruits better by dramatizing them — giving impressions, acting out his commands. It worked and -he enjoyed it. So, when he was discharged, he decided that perhaps he had a future in acting. He went to Carnegie Tech — now Carnegie-Mellon — where he studied drama. He acted in many of the colleges plays and continued to act during s u m m e r vacations. After graduation He stayed in the Pitsburgh area, working on local TV stations. He was spotted there by an ex agent who advised him to try California. In i960 Mallory m a d e the move, and quickly established himself in a career that would ultimately lead to his role on Days Of Our Lives. Now, however, Edward Mallory wants to branch out. His goal is directing. He has already tried his hand a t directing local little-theater plays, a film about acting, and a spoof of Days Of Our Lives for the cast's amusement. Now he's in the midst of making another spoof of the show, but this one is larger and more ambitious. So far, he's p0ured some $15,000 of his own money into the project. He's using the Days of Lives cast. And he's built a set — the castle of "Dr. Neilsonstein" in "Neilsonvania." The castle set is in Mallory's own living room. "It's all about a rating war between networks," he says. "And the upshot is that CBS tries to build the perfect soap opera hero — -and that's where Dr. Neilsonstein comes in. He makes the perfect-soap opera hero come to life."